


An Ocean of Stars

by shigeka



Category: Final Fantasy XV, Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: But might also remain gen, Gen, Other characters and tags to be added, Post-Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Pre-Final Fantasy XV, Self-Indulgent, Slow Build, Sort of Isekai, Spoilers, Tbh it's pretty chill despite the summary suggesting otherwise, Young Noctis Lucis Caelum, possible slash
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-12
Updated: 2019-06-26
Packaged: 2020-05-02 02:46:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 17,296
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19190359
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shigeka/pseuds/shigeka
Summary: A month after Voldemort’s defeat Harry noticed a glitch in the tapestry in the drawing room of the Grimmauld Place and saw that the death date under Sirius’s portrait had disappeared. Coming to the conclusion that his godfather was still alive, Harry decided to go and look for him and found himself in ending up in a strange world with ferocious beasts and daemons.





	1. A Fateful Meeting

**Author's Note:**

> What to do when you’re sick and bedridden? You write strange crossovers, obviously. After more than a week of typhoid fever, my bronchitis acted up again and I ended up tearing some muscles in my chest because I’m coughing too hard, can you believe it? _I_ can’t. This is just too ridiculous even for me and I want this to stop. Urgh.
> 
> I’ll probably bend some of both the canon elements and events of HP and FFXV to suit the story, so if you don’t mind this, I hope you enjoy reading this!

“Harry, are you sure about this?”

Hermione fretted, wringing her hands in her oversized sweater as she stared at his back while he packed everything he thought he would need into the enchanted backpack he just bought the day before. Harry nodded at his best friend without hesitation as he stuffed his clothes inside.

A month after Voldemort’s defeat Harry noticed a glitch in the tapestry in the drawing room of the Grimmauld Place and saw that the death date under Sirius’s portrait had disappeared. This startled him into investigating some things and after a lot of private research he found out that his godfather was truly still alive, and so he came to the decision to go and look for him.

Hermione found out about his plan, naturally. Turned out he really wasn’t as good at being sneaky as he thought he was.

“But it’s been said that the Veil is a one-way gate to the underworld!” Hermione cried out.

He couldn’t help but gave her a wry smile at that.

“Well, Sirius fell through and I found that he’s somehow still alive, so it couldn’t be that bad, right?” he asked the girl who was worrying her lower lip. She growled in frustration and threw a pillow at his face which he accepted with a small ‘oof’.

“Be serious for once! What if you’re stuck there with no way to go back here?” Hermione huffed at him, frowning. “You still haven’t even finished school yet.”

“Don’t worry about me, ‘Mione, I’ll find a way somehow. I mean, I hope I’ll find it,” he reassured her. “I can always finish school after I come back, but Sirius might not still be there if I decided to wait and I can’t have that happen. I have to find him.”

“I’m coming with you then,” the girl decided, seeing that there was no chance of changing his mind. She wore a determined expression on her face, but Harry shook his head at her words.

“Don’t be silly. You still have family here that will miss you. You still have Ron to take care of, too. I don’t think he can survive if you’re not there with him,” he snorted as he shot her a small smile. “Also, didn’t you say that you’re going to change the wizarding world and promote equal rights for all creatures? You can’t do that if you come with me.”

“Well, you still have us here too! Don’t you think we’ll miss you?” Hermione huffed again, sounding frustrated. “What if you failed to find a way? …What if I’ll never get the chance to see you again?”

Harry’s eyes softened when he heard the vulnerability in his friends’ voice. He turned around to see the girl furiously fighting back her tears and sighed, a small smile on his lips. He gestured for his friend to sit beside him on the bed.

When Hermione did as he hinted her to, he rummaged something from the bedside table and pulled out a leather-bound journal.

“Here,” he said as he handed the book over to his friend who accepted it with a frown on her pretty face. “It’s something I order-made a while ago. Whatever I write in the other book I’ll have with me will appear in the book you’re holding and vice versa. We can communicate like this so that you can always check up on me, see?”

He grinned when Hermione’s face softened at his explanation. She huffed and smacked his smug face with the journal she was holding.

“I’ll admit that this is a great idea, but I still haven’t agreed to this yet,” Hermione told him with another huff. “…Do you really have to do this?”

“I don’t have to. Not really,” Harry answered as he went back to packing. “But the thing is I _want_ to, ‘Mione. Sirius is… he’s the closest thing I have to a family. He didn’t even notice this, but he saved me in ways I didn’t even know I needed to be when he asked me to come and live with him.”

Hermione put her hand on his knee sympathetically. “Oh, Harry…”

“I want to return the favor to him somehow,” Harry continued easily. “That’s why I will go after him. If he needs my help, then I want to be there for him.”

There was a small silence before Harry finally turned to his friend and gave her an apologetic smile.

“I’m sorry, Hermione,” he told the girl and put his hand on top of hers, squeezing it slightly. “It’s the first time that I’m sure of what I want to do, so I won’t give this up.”

Hermione was silent for a while before she finally nodded.

“…Alright,” she finally agreed. He looked into her eyes and saw a determined glint there. “If you won’t change your mind, at least let me help you prepare. We don’t know what’s waiting for you there, so I want you to be fully prepared for what’s to come.”

He didn’t expect her words, but he supposed that was one of the things he liked about her. He grinned and put his arms around her shoulders.

“Thank you.”

“You better not die in there, you hear me,” Hermione murmured softly as she hugged him as tight as she could. “Don’t make me regret this.”

He laughed and nodded as he released her. “I won’t, don’t worry. It’s not easy to kill me, you know.”

Hermione snorted lightly at that. She knew that very well, but she worried about him anyway.

“How do you know you’ll end up where he is anyway?”

Harry pointedly stayed silent and Hermione scowled when she realized that he didn’t have the answer. He heard her muttering about researching some spells and ritual though, so he reckoned that she’d help him find a way somehow.

He truly was blessed to have her as his friend.

Hermione got him so many things. Books, mostly. Spells and charms to help him survive, potions kit so he could brew things when his stash of potions supplies had run out. He even saw a book titled ‘How to Survive in the Wild’ somewhere in the piles.

“Always be prepared for anything, Harry!” She told her as she dumped the entire thing into his bag.

Meanwhile, Ron, who had heard of what was happening had gone and gave him piles of canned foods as well as, oddly enough, a pile of blankets.

Harry guessed that he wanted to help but didn’t know what to do, so he just gave him whatever he could. Harry didn’t mind though, he had used Ron’s blankets before and they were _comfortable._ Also, even though he had bought a lot of food and drink-related stuff several days ago, more foods were always welcome.

He was oddly touched by Ron’s gestures though and hugged the bigger boy as tight as he hugged Hermione before.

He snuck in the Sword of Gryffindor and put in his invisibility cloak as well, in the case that he couldn’t use his wand and had to run away quickly or fight with another means. He was crap at using the sword though, so he doubted that he will ever have the opportunity to use it. He will probably just run, but no harm in having it with him.

Other things he packed in was the trusty tent they used for the Horcrux hunt, his Firebolt, a really comfortable sleeping bag he bought along with the backpack just in case he needed it, cooking utensils also just in case, stationery so he could write to Hermione and the others, also some piles of gold and expensive-looking pieces of jewelry from his bank account to be sold wherever he ended up in to fund his journey.

He also left a will at Gringotts just in case he failed to find a way to return, but he kept that a secret from Hermione because he didn’t want to make her worry.

They had dinner together with everyone else at the Burrow the day before he was supposed to go and slept in a big pile on the floor in Ron’s room. They didn’t tell anyone else about his plans, but he suspected that the rest of the Weasleys knew that he was planning to do something dangerous anyway and gave them some privacy that night.

When morning finally came, he hugged everyone goodbye and with one last deep breath left for the ministry.

Hermione had taught him a spell that she believed would lead him to where Sirius was by tying his magic to a possession of his godfather’s that had a trace of his magical signature, so he decided to use Sirius’s wand that he dropped when he fell through the Veil.

His last thought before he stepped inside the Veil was the hope that it would take him where his godfather resided, but after that, darkness consumed his consciousness and he fell into a deep sleep.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When he opened his eyes again, it was to see the sun shining harshly onto him. He groaned and shielded his eyes, still disoriented and suffering a terrible case of headache. Whimpering slightly, he finally propped himself up and his eyes widened in astonishment when he took in the sight of his surroundings.

Where _was_ he?

Everywhere he looked, he saw stones and more stones and… was that lava? Was he on a volcano?

He stood with slight difficulty and just then he noticed just how hot it was there. It was winter back home, so he was wearing his thick clothes and he realized how overdressed he was. After looking around briefly, Harry decided to fish for a t-shirt from his backpack and change quickly before he decided to explore.

He went down the slope and found some ginger amongst a patch of grasses. It smells like gingers, at least. He decided to take them and dump them into his backpack before continuing down, trying to find a way out from the rocky place.

He trod down the narrow path carefully and hide behind a stone wall on instinct when he saw movements from the corner of his eyes.

Harry adjusted his glasses nervously before he decided to take a good look at those creatures.

Some of them looked like giant scorpions but more vicious-looking, while the others looked like a unicorn but with dual horns that twisted into a spiral. They were fighting each other in an open area and looked terrifying, honestly. The way they were fighting each other though… and yeah, he didn’t want to get between that at all. Whatever they were, he didn’t want to get near them.

He took out his invisibility cloak and cast a charm on himself to muffle any sounds he might make before he tried to sneak past those creatures.

He breathed out a sigh of relief when he got past them and quickly went down the narrow path that looked like it would lead him outside, and sure enough, he emerged in an open area with more stone walls, stone plateau, and monsters, but he could also see asphalt road from where he was standing. There were even large towers with cables connecting them and a cable car going from tower to tower in the distance.

 _Technology. That means there are humans here_ , Harry thought, relieved. He was beginning to worry that he had ended up in a world with prehistoric beasts.

Harry took off his cloak and made his way down through some fences, following the road that led him to a cluster of small buildings he could see in the distance. He even saw a caravan and a truck there. He quickened his pace and hastily made his way there, breathing a sigh of relief when he saw actual humans there.

“Welcome! What can I get you today, son?” The middle-aged man behind the grill that had the sign ‘Erupto Eats’ greeted, a big grin on his face.

Harry breathed another sigh of relief again when he realized he could understand the man’s language—which was admittedly a little weird, but he wasn’t going to question it when it was convenient and worked in his favor.

“Hello. What do you recommend?” Harry greeted back as he wiped the sweat on his brows with the back of his hand, trying to sound natural and not at all nervous like what he was feeling deep down.

“I’d recommend the Smoked Dualhorn Shank, but it’s not for everyone. Our Tender Bird Fritters are the favorite amongst our customers, though,” the man answered easily as he flipped the sticks he had on his grill. “Say, you from Tenebrae? Haven’t heard that accent for a while.”

 _Tenebrae? Maybe a country or some sort here. Sure, let’s go with that_ , Harry thought.

“Yeah. Just passing through,” Harry agreed. He sat at the table outside before he continued, “I’ll have the Tender Bird Fritters then.”

“Coming right up!” The man announced cheerfully. Preparing the meat from the small fridge beside him. “I have to say though your accent brings back some fond memories. I have a friend from Tenebrae too. The silly man said he somehow wound up at the very top of Ravatogh but he didn’t remember climbing it. We all thought he just scaled the mountain while he was drunk and forgot about it. He’s a good person though. The locals all liked him.”

Harry’s heart skipped a beat. He assumed that Ravatogh was the volcano he just climbed down from, so then, could the man who wound up at the top be—?

“Was his name Sirius? Tall, gaunt, dark hair, and not-bad looking?” He asked the vendor who turned to look at him with surprise.

“Yep. You a friend of his, son?”

“I’m his godson,” Harry told him, hope filling his chest. _Sirius was here. He really was still alive. He wasn’t wrong._

The man grinned widely at him before he let out a raspy laugh. “Small world! What are the chances, huh?”

Harry nodded, sighing with relief.

“I’m actually looking for him. He went missing about 3 years ago and I just got words that he might still be alive a week ago. Do you know where he is right now?” He asked.

“He’s not here, unfortunately. Said he was going to the Crown City and left 6 months ago,” the vendor told him, shaking his head slightly before flashing him a wry smile. “A shame. My cousin had a huge crush on him. We were hoping that he’d stay and marry her, but he said that he wasn’t the type to settle down and build a family.”

Harry had to laugh a little at that. “Yeah, I can’t imagine him marrying anyone either.”

The man grinned at him kindly as he put down the plate of the Bird Fritters in front of him and sat on the chair across his. “Eat. I have stories from your godfather’s time here if you want to hear about it.”

Harry smiled back at him and nodded. “I would like that, yeah. Thank you, Mr…”

“Just call me Scius, kid, no need for formality, yeah? You’re the godson of a dear friend after all.”

 

 

 

During his stay in Ravatogh’s Verinas Mart, Harry stayed with Scius in his home.

The man had offered for him to stay with him and his wife Serena since their son’s room had been vacant for years now, what with him having moved to the Meldacio Headquarters. Harry was going to decline and stay at the caravan, but when he saw how disappointed Serena was that he wasn’t going to stay with them, he agreed.

He spent a week at Ravatogh, to learn about the way this world—Eos—worked.

There were a few similarities between Earth and Eos, but they were mostly different. First of all was how everyone referred to Eos as ‘star’ instead of ‘world’. Then there was the wildlife of Eos. If he used to think that bears and lions were dangerous, they were practically harmless compared to some of the beasts here in Eos.

Most of them could be compared to the basilisk he fought in his second year at Hogwarts in term of dangerousness, it was absolutely crazy. He thought maybe that was the reason why the population of Eos wasn’t as many as Earth—he heard that more than 200.000 people died each year because of the rampant beast population here.

Then, there were the daemons. They were monsters that appeared during the night or in any places that were dark enough. They disappeared when the sun came out though and apparently a strong enough light can weaken them and make them flee.

Scius didn’t know where the daemons came from, only that they were dangerous. That was why no one in their right mind will travel during the night—because their headlights weren’t strong enough to repel the daemons.

In the case that people had to travel and was stuck on the road when the sun went down though, there was a multitude of safe-places called ‘Havens’ that could repel the daemons. He still hasn’t encountered this so-called haven yet, but he had read all of its characteristics and how to find it in the dark.

Apparently, they were usually in the form of a big stone plateau that had magic runes inscribed on them. These runes will lit up with a soft bluish-glow during the night and the fireplace will emit a glowing smoke so that travelers could find them easily.

Learning of the havens led Harry into finding out about the magic those who were called the Oracles and the Lucian Kings wielded.

Apparently, there was a magical crystal here in Eos and it could grant magical power to those it deemed worthy—who were apparently the lines of the Nox Fleuret and the Lucis Caelum, which were the Tenebraean and Lucian royals respectively.

From what he heard, the magic they wielded and the magic _he_ wielded were very much different in nature though. The books in Scius’ home didn’t explain in detail, but they told him that the Nox Fleurets’ Oracles were able to heal people of wounds and the starscourge—which was apparently a strange disease that the daemons spread that caused people to vanish—while the Lucis Caelum Kings could control the elements and teleport or something. He wasn’t sure, but it sure sounded fantastical if what the locals told him were true.

The legends said that the crystal was gifted unto mortals by the Hexatheon—the six gods that protected Eos since ancient times. Apparently these gods truly did exist at one point in history, even though right now they were in slumber and haven’t been sighted in centuries, so maybe fantastical was the right word for their case.

Speaking of gods… he heard the Empire of Niflheim had started waging war against the Kingdom of Lucis. It seems they have been in a state of Cold Ward for the last 3 centuries, but about 2 decades ago Niflheim had managed to build an ‘invincible army’ of machines that they boasted could even kill the gods and decided to declare war.

It seemed that Lucis was losing against these soldiers even with the magic they wield, but the King had raised a barrier that encompassed the entirety of the Crown City of Insomnia as well as some of the regions around it that were completely impenetrable so the war was currently in a sort-of intermit state.

Gods, he hoped that Sirius managed to stay alive somehow between the dangers of the beasts, daemons, and this war.

And he thought the whole situation with Voldemort back home was horrible.

During his stay with Scius, Harry helped around a little with eliminating the local wildlife; hunting down Soldier and Killer Wasps population that had been propagating a little too much and was getting a little too close to their small village.

He also sold some of the jewelry he brought with him to Culless’s and bought a gun called ‘Rebellion’ for the hunt since the wasps were hard to hit with his sword.

It was a bit expensive, honestly, but he figured that it wouldn’t be a good idea to use magic when people could see him since apparently only royalties could use magic here. He didn’t want to cause unnecessary misunderstanding. Although he did use some _immobulus_ sneakily when he found out how incredibly annoying the confusion status their stings caused. No point in dying before he found Sirius after all.

He wrote to Hermione every night, telling her of his findings and asking for advice on how to proceed, but Hermione hasn’t replied to any of them yet even though days had passed since he wrote the first one.

He was starting to worry that the journals were defective when finally, on the 6th day after his first entry he got an answer from Hermione.

The answers kept appearing one after another in a jumbled, disorganized mess.

One thing he could read clearly was the one where Hermione berated him for not contacting her for almost a week and that everyone thought he was dead, even though he wrote to her the night he arrived in Eos.

He came to the conclusion that time flowed differently between Eos and Earth after some confusion and if his conclusion was right, then Earth was about 5-6 times faster than Eos. He wrote his suspicions to Hermione and told her to leave a blank page between her entries so that he could write there and their entries didn’t overlap with each other again.

After getting used to fighting and learning the tricks to surviving on his own from reading Hermione’s books, he bought a world map from the Mart and bid Scius and his wife goodbye before he decided to make his way to Insomnia to search for his godfather.

Harry felt indebted to Scius, so he gifted some of the jewelry he had to the man who had helped him and treated him so kindly without expecting any compensation.

The man almost refused his gift seeing how valuable they were, saying that he only wished for Harry to visit him sometimes, but Harry managed to make him accept it when he mentioned how Serena would love it.

He hitch-hiked with another tourist’s car to the intersection near the Maidenwater parking spot. The couple said that they were heading to a city called Lestallum up north to complete their honeymoon, so unfortunately he couldn’t ride with them further.

He was a bit tempted to go there with them but decided that it would take him too long to reach Insomnia if he made a detour. He had to find Sirius before his godfather moved somewhere else again.

Seeing that there was no other car passing by, he decided to go and cross the bridge on foot while admiring the scenery of Eos as he walked.

This was where Eos differ the most from Earth. Despite the technological advances he had seen here and there, despite the asphalt road, the steel towers and the EXINERIS ropeways, the military bases, and the cars that the travelers here used, nature here _thrived_.

There were trees everywhere, the water of the rivers here clear and crisp, and the air felt so clean—the complete opposite of Earth.

Granted, the human population here was significantly fewer and not a lot of people could afford to buy a car, but it was still absolutely beautiful here. Harry wished he could have shown this scenery to his friends back home.

When the sun had started to set he went to the nearest haven, which was the Dainse Haven just north of the Empire’s Fort Vaullerey in Hulldagh Pixe, according to his map.

Honestly it wasn’t that late and he could have continued his journey a little bit more, but in the map, he saw that the next outpost or haven was still a distance away so he decided to just stop for the day.

That evening was the first time Harry was completely alone in this completely new world, but thanks to his experience during the hunt with Hermione and Ron he knew how to function and take care of himself at the very least.

He efficiently set up his tent and cook some dinner—which was honestly just a fancy way to say that he heated up the canned foods Ron gave him and the other instant foods he brought with him.

He made a note to go buy some more ingredients when he stopped by a bigger outpost. Even though magical instant food was great and nutritious, home-cooked meals were even better.

He cleaned up himself and his stuff before he finally retreated into the tent to write his progress report to Hermione and went to sleep.

 

 

 

The next morning, as he crossed Rachsia Bridge, Harry met a kind old man who offered him a lift to cross Secullam Pass. He had to continue on foot again once they reached the intersection near the exit of the tunnel though since the man was heading south to Caem while he was heading for the outpost in Cauthess since that was the nearest path to Insomnia.

Apparently after Cauthess, he had to go to Kettier Highland, past Longwythe Peak, to Hammerhead, then through Ostium Gorge, follow the long road through the tunnel inside Heaven’s Mountains, and cross the long bridge to Insomnia.

He sighed as he folded the map and stuffed them back into his bag.

He had a long way to go, still.

The road to Saxham was so relaxing though, he thought inwardly with a smile. The trees there were tall, shading the road ahead of him; the greeneries made the air felt so fresh, and there were birds chirping and twittering all around him, making feel not so alone.

His smile faded when he got reminded of Hedwig, but he quickly slapped his cheeks and shook his depressing thoughts away. He had to keep his positivity.

He was just finished stretching his arms up when a car sped by, almost hitting him. Cursing, he turned around to glare at the car when he noticed little bound hands poking through what should have been the rear lights, waving frantically, and Harry stopped in his tracks.

He blinked.

 _Wait a minute_ , he thought as his mind caught up to him. _Little bound hands?!_

Cursing, he ran after the car, but he was no match for its speed no matter how athletic he was. He panicked and took out his wand from its holster, wasting no time in throwing a freezing charm to stop the car, but it was too fast for even his spell to catch.

“Dammit,” he grunted and took off his backpack.

He crouched as he rummaged inside to find his broom and immediately rode it, speeding after the suspected-kidnappers, not caring if anyone saw him flying.

When he finally caught up, a man came out of the left front window and shot him with his gun. He didn’t expect that and the bullet hit his left shoulder, almost sending him into a nearby tree, but he balanced himself quick and dodged the other shots.

Hearing the man cursing as he reloaded his gun, Harry took the chance to take out his wand again and shot another freezing charm.

“ _Immobulus!_ ” He shouted as he made the wand movement, sending the spell straight into the car. It stopped, but because of the suddenness of it the car careened off the road and slid down through the bushes into an abandoned warehouse nearby.

Shit, the kid!

Hoping the kid was alright, Harry immediately landed beside the car and dropped his broom to the ground to find cover behind some of the empty barrels when the men came out of the crashed car.

He narrowed his eyes, deciding if he should use his gun too or his magic, but in the end he decided he didn’t have the stomach to shoot humans even if they’re kidnappers. The gore the Rebellion caused was a bit too much for him. Even if he might end up killing them anyway, at least if he used magic there wouldn’t be an explosion of blood and flesh if he used the right spells. He hoped that he didn’t have to resort to killing though.

Taking a deep breath, he came out of his hiding spot and made a quick wand movement at the black-clad men.

“ _Incarcerous!_ ” He shouted, and thick ropes materialized from thin air, binding the men’s legs and arms tightly. They dropped their guns in surprise and he immediately went after them, unloading the cartridges and throwing them far away from where they couldn’t reach.

“Bastard—” One of the men started to say, but he shot another incarcerous spell at their mouth so they couldn’t say another word. Harry eyed them cautiously for any suspicious movements before he approached the car and inspect it carefully.

The little hand had retreated back inside, but thankfully he didn’t see any blood on the outside so he hoped the kid was uninjured when the car crashed into the warehouse.

It took a while to figure out how to open the trunk, but when he finally managed to, a small leg tried to kick him.

“Whoa!” He exclaimed in surprise as he caught the leg before it hit his face.

The leg struggled and he heard the owner of said leg letting out a muffled scream as they tried to kick him away. Despite the alarm and having to fend himself against the kicks, Harry could make out that the kid inside the trunk was a little boy with dark hair and teary but defiant blue eyes.

Harry’s heart immediately went to him.

“Shh, shh, it’s alright! You’re okay, kid. I got you, you’re fine. They won’t be able to hurt you anymore,” Harry tried to calm the boy.

The boy ceased his struggle, but he still looked at him with hesitance. Harry smiled at him, not really sure on how to reassure a victim of kidnapping. Hesitantly, the boy allowed Harry to pick him out of the trunk and set him down on the ground.

“I’m going to remove the tapes, alright?” He pointed at the boy’s bound hands and duct-taped mouth. The boy nodded tentatively and Harry took out the survival knife he bought in Verinas from its sheath on the back of his pants and carefully cut the tapes on his hands first.

He helped the boy remove the remains before they moved on to the ones on his mouth. He thought belatedly that he should have removed the ones on his mouth first, but oh well. It was done already.

“You’re not a Crownsguard,” was the boy’s first words to him. He still looked wary of Harry, but he wasn’t trying to run away.

Harry raised an eyebrow at his words. Was a Crownsguard something like a cop in this part of Lucis? He shrugged inwardly and shook his head to answer the boy.

“I’m not,” he agreed. “Are you okay? Do you know these men?”

Harry gestured towards the bound men on the ground, writhing as they tried to get out of the ropes that bind them.

The boy shook his head and scooted closer to Harry, who apparently he deemed to be safe, to get further away from those men. His little hands—red and bruised, likely from when he was trying to bust the rear lights—was clutching his shirt tightly in a nervous gesture.

“I don’t know them… they were pretending to be Crownsguards and came for me at school. They told me that there was an emergency at the Citadel and I have to come with them, but…” The boy said, his lower lip wobbling as fresh tears filled his eyes. “I shouldn’t have listened to them…!”

The boy’s words made absolutely no sense to Harry, but he immediately put his arms around him anyway when he saw the tears started to drip.

“Hey, it’s alright. I’ll help you get back home, okay? Don’t cry,” he cooed as he wiped the boy’s tears with his sleeves. “What’s your name? I’m Harry. Harry Potter.”

The boy sniffled lightly before he nodded at him.

“My name is Noctis,” the boy murmured softly as he wiped his eyes again. “Please help me get back to Insomnia, Mr. Potter.”

Harry smiled reassuringly at Noctis and nodded at him before his vision went black for a second and he dropped down to his hands and knees, feeling unbelievably dizzy. It was when Noctis shouted his name with concern that he realized something.

Oh yeah, he had just been shot.

**End of Chapter One**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I honestly have no idea where I’m taking this story, guys. The idea just came to me several days ago after I binge-read Araceil’s [Hated You From Hello](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18501823/chapters/43844539) and I just have to write this lol.
> 
> Despite being (very loosely) inspired by the premise of Araceil’s story however, this story will be very different from hers, so if you’re looking for something like hers I suggest to search somewhere else. There won’t be that much actions and world-building here, I think. Harry is more laidback too here, not as fierce as in HYFH ~~(and also maybe a bit dumber because I’m dumb and can’t write smart characters, just a warning before any of you commented on how dumb he’s being).~~
> 
> Regarding pairing, I’m going to stick with the canon Noctis/Lunafreya, but I do have a pairing in mind for Harry. Who knows if I’ll be able to write it though. If I do manage to, however, it will be slash and with a much older male. (And no, it’s not Cor.)
> 
> Also!! In case you missed it, I translated some Noctis/Prompto doujinshi a while ago. You can [click here](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18881719/chapters/44817424) if you want to read them because they’re amazing and you should read them. (Especially _my hero_ , which is my favorite FFXV doujin.)
> 
> (Title is from a line in [Heritors of Arcadia](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CzKptJ9VIiE))


	2. Accidental Bodyguard

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for the kudos and comments for last chapter! I’m really bad at summaries so I thought no one would click on this lmao.
> 
> Just a warning before you read, I don’t know how a 7 years old talk since I’ve never been around children that age so don’t complain if I make Noctis too smart or too childish please. I honestly tried :")

“Mr. Potter, are you okay?” Noctis asked in concern as he fluttered above him.

Harry let out a small groan and nodded to reassure the boy as he tried to stay awake. How he could have forgotten about his wound he didn’t know, but he was paying the price of his carelessness now. Blood loss wasn’t fun.

“I’m fine, Noctis. I have something in my bag that could fix me up real quick, don’t worry about me,” he said as he groped his shoulder for the strap of his backpack and raised an eyebrow when he couldn’t find it.

Oh. Of course.

He left his bag on the road after he took out his broom.

Resisting the urge to slap his own forehead, Harry shook his head and turned to Noctis.

“Don’t be surprised at what I’m about to do, okay?” Harry said and though he seemed confused, the boy nodded anyway.

Taking out his wand from its holster again, Harry did a quick wand movement and said clearly, “ _Accio_ Harry Potter’s backpack.”

Harry only had to wait for a few seconds before his backpack burst through the bushes to his right and went straight towards him.

He ignored Noctis’ gasp as he snatched his bag from the air and used his wand to summon his potions supplies’ pouch. Taking out the small brown pouch, Harry opened it and rummaged for a vial of Essence of Dittany and a vial of Blood-Replenishing potion.

“Look away, Noctis. This might be a bit bloody,” Harry grimaced as he set aside the potions to take his wand again. Before he could administer the potions, he had to take the bullets from his flesh first, lest he wanted the bullet to be embedded inside forever.

Noctis sensed his hesitation when after he rolled his sleeve to reveal the wound though as he sat beside him and stared at him with worry in his bright blue eyes.

“Will you be okay?” the boy asked in concern and Harry flashed him another smile.

“Yeah, don’t worry,” he muttered before he nodded at Noctis, signaling that he was going to begin. He waited for Noctis to close his eyes before he muttered, “ _Accio_ bullet shards.”

Somehow getting those shards out hurts worse than when he was getting shot, he thought as he bit his lip to stifle his voice. He didn’t want to worry Noctis, so he resolved himself to not let out a single peep from his lips.

He disposed the shards somewhere to the ground and with shaking hands, he waved his wand again and chanted two more spells: a _tergeo_ to clean the wound and the healing spell _vulnera sanentur_ to fully knit it close. When he was done, he reached for the dittany essence and used several drops on the still closing wound before he finished by gulping down the blood-replenisher.

“ _Wooow_ ,” Noctis watched on in awe before he exclaimed excitedly, “It healed up in seconds!”

Harry chuckled slightly, already feeling his lightheadedness waning away.

“I told you I’d be alright,” Harry said, smiling at the boy as he packed up his things back into his bag.

“You did!” Noctis nodded eagerly. “How did you make your backpack come to you like that? It was like, _whoosh!_ ”

“Well, it’s…” Harry paused, not sure how to answer the boy before he shrugged. He was just a kid, what harm could telling him the truth be? It wasn’t like the Aurors would come and detain him for breaching the Statute of Secrecy here.

“It’s a secret okay? But I can use magic,” Harry finally whispered to him, putting a finger to his lips.

Noctis’s eyes widened when his answer finally sunk into him and he let out a delighted gasp.

“You can do magic?” Noctis exclaimed excitedly and leaned his face closer to his in his enthusiasm. “I have magic too!”

Harry blinked at his words.

Wait, _what_?

“You have magic?” Harry asked him incredulously. Now that he mentioned it, he _did_ feel a strange kind of energy radiating from inside Noctis’s body.

At Noctis’s nod of confirmation, Harry warily eyed him and asked again, “Say, what did you say your name is?”

“Oh, I didn’t introduce myself properly huh? Ignis would scold me if he heard about this,” Noctis muttered the last part under his breath before he straightened his back and looked at him right in the eyes, looking somewhat regal despite his young face.

“I am Noctis Lucis Caelum, the Crown Prince of Lucis,” he declared clearly and Harry felt himself getting dizzy again despite having mostly recovered from his blood loss.

Oh.

What had he gotten himself to this time?

 

 

 

Once he had felt better, Harry went back to take his broom and stuffed it inside of his bag, smiling slightly at Noctis’s little sounds of amazement when he witnessed the long broom somehow fitting inside the bag.

The prince stayed close to him as he did a sweep of the area as well as the kidnapper’s car. Harry found an old fashioned, brick-like communication device as well as some files that looked like it could be of importance, but he couldn’t make head or tails of it so he shrugged and put them away for now. There were also a few ammo on the glove compartment that suited his Rebellion and decided to take them with him as well.

Finally, he went back to the kidnappers themselves, who were still struggling against the constricting ropes, trying to untie their bounds. Harry snorted at their useless attempts because those ropes will release them only if they were hit by a counter-spell or when the effects ran out in about… 10 hours.

Crouching down, he searched their pockets, finding more guns, knives, and also some Crownsguard IDs that he knew were fake from the prince’s explanations.

“What do we do with them?” Noctis asked quietly, clutching onto his arm warily as they looked at the glaring kidnappers. Harry looked at him and helplessly shrugged.

“To be honest I’m not sure,” he admitted. “Does Lucis have something like a cop here?”

Noctis tilted his head in visible confusion. “A cop?”

Oh, great. They didn’t use that word here?

“Err, they’re people who enforce the law. Police officers?” Harry tried, hoping that the boy understood what he meant. Noctis’s blue eyes lit up in recognition, thankfully.

“That would be the patrol officers!” Noctis exclaimed before his shoulders slumped a bit. “…At least I think so. They don’t deal with outside-the-Wall cases though. I know the Crownsguard does that, but only for state-related matters,” he elaborated, his tone a bit unsure.

Harry smiled at him encouragingly for his input. “I’m sure your disappearance counted as state-related matters, Your Highness. Do you know any numbers I could call them with?”

Noctis hesitated for a bit before opening his mouth. “The ones who kidnapped me were pretending to be Crownsguards though. What if it’s not safe to call them?”

Oh. Good point. But they have to contact someone and tell them that their prince was alive, right?

“Hmm… what about your parents—err, the king, I meant. Do you know his number?” Harry tried asking again and Noctis’s face flushed red in embarrassment.

“I… I had it saved on my phone, but they threw it away when they took me and…” the prince trailed off guiltily.

Harry fought the urge to groan and immediately reached to reassure the boy. There was no need to put pressure on him needlessly, he had been put through enough already.

“Hey, it’s no big deal if you can’t remember, okay? I forget things all the time too,” he said, patting the boy’s head before he remembered that this kid was _the crown prince of the country_ he was in. He pulled his hand away, not knowing if it was alright for him to touch him so casually.

Noctis nodded as he let out a small sigh, likely relieved that he wasn’t mad at him.

“Well, if we can’t contact the authorities to take them in, we can just… leave them here?” Harry asked, honestly not sure on what to do.

In novels or TV series that he had seen glimpses of back home, the main characters usually would just put some bullets into the villains’ brains, but he didn’t feel right doing it.

It was one thing to kill in battle, but when the enemies were bound and helpless, killing them felt like straight up murder instead of self-defense and honestly, he didn’t feel comfortable with the idea of doing it.

Noctis looked at him for a moment before he nodded, agreeing with him.

“Alright. I trust your decision, Mr. Potter,” he said innocently and Harry had to ruffle his hair again at that, no matter if his brain screamed at him to not touch the royalty so carelessly. The little prince was just too adorable.

“Just call me Harry, Your Highness,” Harry smiled.                                                                    

Noctis shyly smiled back at him. “Then… you can call me Noct… Harry. That’s what my friends called me.”

 

 

 

It was decided then that they would leave the kidnappers as they were.

What would happen to them afterward wasn’t their responsibilities, whether they were attacked by wild beasts or if the daemons got them after nightfall.

Just in case they had allies that might rescue them though, Harry burned the car with a quick _incendio_ and cast a false memory charm to modify their memories of the kidnapping.

Instead of being stopped by himself, Harry made them believe actual Crownsguards came and saved Noctis. He erased all of their memories of him using magic from their mind to avoid people coming after him, because that would just _suck_.

When he was finished, Harry knocked them out using a stunning spell and turned to Noctis.

“Well, since you can’t call anyone and let people know where you are, we’re going to follow my initial plan okay. First we’re going to the outpost in Cauthess first to restock our stuff, then we head to Longwythe. Insomnia’s not far from there if my map is to be trusted. Is that alright with you?” Harry asked him.

Noctis nodded and was about to say something before he paused and closed his mouth, then opened it again.

“Wait, Harry… do you have a change of clothes I could wear? The ones I’m wearing might tip people that I’m the prince, especially since the map said there’s an Empire military base nearby…” Noctis trailed off hesitantly.

Harry raised an eyebrow, scrutinizing the outfit the prince was wearing. He was wearing normal clothes though? Just a plain black t-shirt, short black cargo pants, and black boots. What part of that could identify him as _The Prince_ he didn’t know, but he nodded at the boy anyway. He probably knew more than Harry did about what could identify him, so Harry decided not to question him.

“Of course. Wait a sec,” Harry told him as he took off his backpack again and summoned his clothing storage. Rummaging inside it, he pulled out a yellow hooded sweater and gray jeans. He handed them to Noctis and smiled when the prince’s face fell seeing that they were several sizes too big.

“I’ll shrink them to fit you later,” Harry assured him to Noctis’s amazement.

“You can do _that_?” The prince asked with wonder.

He chuckled and nodded, ushering the prince to go change behind the barrels he used as a cover last time as he fished another shirt—clean and hole-free—to change into for himself.

Noctis tried to walk towards him by himself, but inevitably tripped on the too-big jeans and almost hit his head on the cement floor. Harry ran towards him in a panic, checking him for injuries. When he found none, he took out his wand and adjusted the clothes to fit the prince’s significantly tinier body with the shrinking charm.

Noctis turned around to look at the now fitting clothes in admiration.

“You can do so many things with your magic, Harry. This is so cool!” Noctis told him excitedly.

Harry shook his head to deny it because back home, this was a very common skill for his wizarding folks.

“You have magic too,” Harry reminded Noctis whose shoulders slumped slightly in dejection.

“I still can’t do anything yet. Not like you,” Noctis murmured as he wrung his hands on his shirt. “Dad could do many things with his magic though. He raised the Wall to protect the whole city.”

Harry’s eyes softened as he patted the boy’s head again softly. “I’m sure you’ll surpass him someday. You’re still a kid, there are many rooms for you to grow yet.”

Noctis pouted as he looked up at him. “I’m not a kid! I’m already seven!”

Lips quirking up, Harry shook his head in amusement and offered his hand to the boy who took it timidly. Hopefully the rest of their journey to Insomnia will be smooth and uneventful.

Giving the still unconscious kidnappers a last glance, he shoved his guilty feelings aside and led the prince back into the direction he was heading to before.

They were criminals, they got what they deserved. Who knew what would happen to Noctis had he not been there to stop them?

 

 

 

It wasn’t long before Harry noticed Noctis’s stamina was practically nonexistent.

Barely 20 minutes later the prince was already panting from exhaustion, his forehead damp with sweats despite the chill of the wind and his steps were swaying.

“Should I carry you?” Harry asked in concern, but Noctis adamantly shook his head and insisted that he can walk on his own, he just needed a little break.

Harry sighed at his stubbornness but led them to the patch of grass nearby to rest anyway. He glanced at the sun’s position and reckoned that it was about time for lunch, so he took off his backpack and rummaged inside for his stash of food.

“Let’s eat lunch while we rest,” he told the prince as he took out said stash. “I’m sorry that I only have canned and other instant foods.”

Noctis shook his head.

“It’s okay, I don’t mind,” the prince said before pausing, his adorable face scrunched up in a grimace. “Ignis would be mad at me if he knew though, so please don’t tell him, Harry.”

Harry’s lips quirked up again.

“My lips are sealed,” he jokingly told the boy who sighed in visible relief. Kids are so amusing. “What flavor of filling do you want? I’ll make us some sandwiches.”

Noctis chose the smoked salmon, so Harry worked quickly and made those sandwiches after he took out his cooking utensils. He threw in several slices of cheese as well to add flavor before serving them to the prince.

As they ate quietly, Harry’s eyes went to observe the boy.

Noctis didn’t seem too shaken from his kidnapping before, thankfully. He wouldn’t know what to do with a traumatized victim. Maybe that wasn’t his first kidnapping, Harry thought with a frown.

Noctis didn’t question him much about the obvious difference between their magic too, which was great because he didn’t have to explain. The kid was a bit too trusting, it honestly worried Harry. What if he had an ulterior motive or something? What if he was a bad guy pretending to be good because he has his own goal?

As he observed him, the prince suddenly looked up and beamed at him with his cheeks full of food. A light feeling filled Harry’s chest and he couldn’t help but return the smile.

Was this how it felt to have a sibling? Ron was so lucky to have so many.

They packed up quickly after he gave Noctis his water bottle. The boy sweated a lot so he had to drink often to stay hydrated.

Harry really have to look for an alternative way to travel though. There weren’t many cars here so hitchhiking wasn’t a reliable means for getting by. He was fine with walking, but walking a long distance might be too much for a child. Noctis was only 7 after all.

He offered his hand again as they were about to head out and the boy took it happily.

“Thank you, Harry,” Noctis murmured shyly, their connected hands swinging slightly as they walked. “I didn’t know what I’d do without you.”

“It’s my pleasure to be of help. What’s important is your safety,” Harry smiled down at him. “I’m heading towards Insomnia in the first place, so I’m not getting out of my way to escort you there.”

“Where are you from, Harry?” Noctis asked him as they walked. “You have a similar accent to Ignis.”

“I’m from Tenebrae,” Harry said, sticking to the lie he told Scius before. “I’m looking for my godfather. A mutual friend said he was heading to Insomnia the last time they saw each other, so that’s where I’m going.”

“Oh… I hope you find him,” Noctis told him earnestly. Harry smiled and ruffled his hair again, causing the boy to pout at him for messing up his hair.

Suddenly Noctis’s eyes lit up in excitement. “Oh! Maybe I can ask Uncle Cor to help you look for him. He’s the best at tracking down people, so I think he might be able to help.”

Harry tilted his head curiously. “Uncle Cor?”

“The Marshall of the Crownsguard. He’s my uncle!” Noctis gushed to him, grinning toothily. “Well, sort of. We’re not actually related, but I called him Uncle Cor ever since I can remember, so he’s my uncle.”

Marshall of the Crownsguard? That… sound somewhat intimidating.

“Oh no, I can’t possibly bother him with my problem. He’s probably a very busy man, Noct…” Harry said, shaking his other hand to refuse the offer.

“It’s okay, he’ll make the time to help you!” The prince insisted. “I think.”

Harry looked at the prince. Seeing his determination, he couldn’t help but shook his head and let out a fond sigh.

“Thank you, Noctis. I appreciate it,” he said, squeezing Noctis’s hand lightly. “Anyway, enough about me. I’m boring, so let’s talk about something else. I’ve been curious about them since earlier, but who is this Ignis you keep mentioning before?”

Noctis’s eyes lit up and he began to prattle about Ignis, his ‘ _Hand’_. He was his best friend who was older than him by two years that was super-smart and know everything.

The older boy was raised in the Citadel with the best tutors so that he would be able to serve him as his adviser when they grow up later. Apparently, he was always nagging at Noctis to eat more healthily because Noctis was bad at eating his vegetables.

That conversation prompted Noctis to launch an explanation of the whole ‘inner circle of the crown’, so to speak. There were so many names and roles that Harry’s brain honestly couldn’t keep up. It was a wonder how Noctis could remember all that when he forgot his own dad’s—the _king’s_ —phone number.

They followed the road until they reached a small blue lake that glimmered under the sunlight beautifully, which Noctis stared at in awe until they passed it.

Harry can see a long stone arch stretching high above the road in front of them, which was just unreal. He had never seen anything like that back home. There was also a large silo not far from the lake with a small farm with thriving crops near it.

It was a stunning sight, like something straight out of a fantasy novel.

As they passed the silo though, they finally got a clear view of the farm and Noctis gasped in fright.

“Harry, look…!”

Now alert, Harry turned to the direction the prince was pointing at and saw that the farmers having trouble fending off a pack of voretooth.

Cursing under his breath, he told Noctis to stay somewhere safe before he ran to help them with their problem. He took out his gun from its holster and shot the voretooths from afar, covering the farmers’ back while they attack from close range.

Some of the clever beasts went after him, however, sensing that he was more dangerous than the farmers. Harry had to pull out the Sword of Gryffindor to block their attacks, but one of them managed to throw him on the ground and pounced on him. When he finally threw the beast off him, he countered and slashed them with the sword.

His sword didn’t cut deep, but the beasts weakly stumbled backward anyway. They let out a weak sound before dropping to the ground, dead.

Harry was so glad that he brought the sword with him. The basilisk poison that was imbued inside the blade was so overpowered that he almost felt sorry for them.

With his and the farmer’s combined effort, before long all the voretooths were all dead.

The farmers thanked him with a generous amount of the voretooth’s meat* that wasn’t killed by his sword (because they’re poisonous, he warned the farmers) and a heap of the green peas as well as rice that they grew on their farm, despite Harry having assured them that he didn’t need any rewards.

Noctis scrunched up his face when he saw the peas Harry showed him as a trophy but seemed relieved that Harry was mostly unharmed.

They had no other problems on the rest of their trip to the outpost, thankfully. Noctis had to take another 5-minute break, but no beasts came to attack them so that was great.

Harry had never had to take care of a child before, but he knew that they tend to be loud, demanding, and difficult to handle sometimes so he was grateful that Noctis wasn’t like that at all. Maybe it was his royal upbringing, but the prince was really polite and low-maintenance, never asking much of him except for when he needed break or water. If he was like your typical child, Harry wouldn’t know what to do.

When they reached the junction that would take them to Cauthess, Harry noticed that there was an outpost not far from it.

Weird, that wasn’t in the map. Was it?

He checked and confirmed that the outpost wasn’t marked in his map.

Okay, maybe it was built recently, he thought.

Harry turned to Noctis who had started to look exhausted, his cheeks red from the sun. He was afraid the boy would get heatstroke if this continued, so he pointed out the outpost to the boy.

“Noct, there’s an outpost just ahead. Let’s take a break there first okay? Maybe we’ll find someone who could give us a lift to Longwythe there too if we’re lucky,” Harry suggested and the prince nodded in relieve.

“Yeah,” Noctis agreed before looking down guiltily. “I’m sorry, Harry…”

“Hey, what are you sorry for? Everyone’s limit is different,” Harry told him with a reassuring squeeze of his hand. “You should listen to your body. If it’s tired, then rest. Nothing good will come out of pushing yourself too much, especially since your body is still growing.”

At least, that was what Hermione always told him. He was still crap at following her advice, but maybe Noctis will be better at listening than he was.

The outpost had no name, but it had a petrol station, a mini-mart, a Culless truck, and also a caravan. There was no restaurant unfortunately, so he guessed he would be cooking dinner for the both of them later, but it was good that there was a caravan here since his tent was too… _ratty_ … for a prince.

Okay, it wasn’t that bad since he fixed the tent and renovated the interior before he left, but it was still not that good. The caravan was small, but it was somewhat modern, at least.

He pulled the hood of the jacket up to cover Noctis’s head before they went to the mart.

“I have about 7000 gil on me right now, so don’t hesitate to tell me if you see something you want to buy, okay Noct?” Harry told Noctis as he opened the door for him. “I’ll be up front asking for ingredients.”

“Okay.” Noctis nodded before he paused, tilting his head curiously. “What’s a gil?”

The following conversation he had with the prince led him to found out that the Crown City and the rest of Lucis used different currencies. Apparently, _gil_ was Niflheim’s currency and since the rest of Lucis had been annexed by the Empire, they were using that currency instead of Insomnian’s _yen._

Harry sighed looking at his pouch of gil.

He wondered if it was possible to convert his gil to yen later because it would be such a waste if he couldn’t do that. He had sold almost all of his jewelry too. Thankfully he still has his gold coins, but it might not be enough for him to rent a place to live while he looked for Sirius.

He sure hoped gold had a high price in Insomnia or he would be in a pinch later.

Harry bought some Leiden potatoes and Schier turmeric for their dinner. He had a lot of rice and meat from the farmers earlier, so he thought making curry will be good.

There were also a lot of other goods though, like funguars and alstrooms. The cashier told him that funguars were popular with children because of their chewiness and alstrooms can make the meat really tender if you boil them together.

Hmm… what to do…

Was mushroom curry a thing? It should be, right? Whatever, as long as it tasted good.

In the end, Harry decided to just buy some of every ingredient the mart had in stock. He wasn’t familiar with a lot of the ingredients here in Eos, so he wanted to experiment a bit. He also bought several cartons of milk—children need calcium, right?? To grow and such?—and a whole bunch of bottled water. Since he can just banish the waste, it wouldn’t harm the environments here anyway so he had no reserve. Better have too much than running out of it on the road.

Noctis came back just as the helpful cashier was packing his purchases. Harry saw him carrying some canned drinks that he suspected were very sugary and several packs of pudding. The boy shyly handed them to him and Harry smiled to show him that it was alright.

The total of their purchases was only about 1560 gil, which wasn’t that bad. They bought a lot of things after all.

When they came out of the mart, the sun had started to set so Harry told Noctis that they’re going to stop there for the night.

The caravan was empty, thankfully. He had paid the fees for two people earlier along with their purchases at the mart, so they didn’t have to worry about it later.

Harry ushered Noctis to take a shower after he handed the prince some change of clothes and a fluffy towel before he went straight to the kitchen to work his magic.

While the rice was cooking in a pot, he ground the spices into a paste and chopped the funguars, alstroom, potatoes, and the meat before he dumped them and some of the peas into another pot of boiling water.

He didn’t actually know what he was doing since he had no recipe to follow, but once again, as long as it tasted good, right? He hoped Noctis will like it.

He seasoned them with salt and pepper, stirring constantly before he finally turned off the stove when the meat has cooked and used a spoon to give it a taste.

If he thought it smelled wonderful, the taste was _even better._ He knew he can cook, but usually he was following a recipe. Goodness, he might just have a talent for this. Maybe he should look for a job as a cook when they reached Insomnia.

The bathroom opened, revealing a freshly showered Noctis. Harry smiled at him when he turned up his nose to sniff the aroma of the curry.

“Good timing. Food’s done,” Harry told him. Noctis walked up to him and peered at the pot.

“Aw, you put the peas inside…” the prince said dejectedly and Harry chuckled.

“Remember what your friend Ignis said? You have to eat healthily, Noct,” he grinned as he took the towel from Noctis’s shoulder. “Let’s dry your hair first though. We don’t want you to catch a cold now do we?”

Once the royal hair was sufficiently dry, Harry took out his plates and cutleries to serve the mushroom curry rice, intentionally putting the hated peas onto Noctis’s plate much to the boy’s grimace. The boy ate enthusiastically though, so Harry guessed the boy thought it was as good as Harry thought it was.

The satisfaction he felt when Noctis returned an empty plate was amazing.

Harry gave Noctis an ‘ok’ to eat his pudding and gave him a glass of milk to wash everything down. Full stomach seemed to make the prince sleepy, however, so Harry told him to brush his teeth before sending him to bed with a few of Ron’s blankets since the night there was a bit colder than in Ravatogh.

He waited until the boy fell asleep before he took out his communication journal and wrote to Hermione.

 

_A lot happened today. I accidentally foiled the kidnapping of a prince. His name is Noctis Lucis Caelum and he’s 7 years old._

_Because he was worried that there might be traitors amongst his guards and I can’t just leave him alone, now I’m escorting him back to his home in Insomnia. Your lesson in healing a wound came in handy, by the way. Nice. Also, unrelated to the previous topic, but I think I might be a genius at cooking._

_How are you and Ron? Is everyone healthy? I’ll be waiting for your response next week. Love you guys._

 

Harry closed the journal and stretched his arms up.

Today had been exhausting for him. He should retire early so he didn’t oversleep tomorrow.

He quickly washed the dishes and stuffed them back into his bag before he took out some more comfortable clothes to wear to bed and headed to the bathroom to take a quick shower.

As he laid under his blankets that night, a lot of thoughts niggled on his mind. He didn’t have many clean clothes left, so he should do laundry first thing tomorrow before making breakfast. He still has to look for transportation too for Noctis.

He sighed and closed his eyes.

He’ll figure that out tomorrow. For now, he will rest.

**End of Chapter Two**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Voretooth meat isn’t an actual ingredient in-game, but I refuse to believe they don’t eat voretooths when they eat gigantoads.
> 
> I have to turn on my PS4 and load my FFXV to get footage of the boys riding from Ravatogh to Ostium Gorge for this story since I know the name of the places but I don’t remember what they look like lol.


	3. Getting Closer

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the comments and kudos as always! I know number is not the most important thing in the world, but seeing that this managed to amass 75+ kudos in just 2 chapters sure felt nice lol.

The chirps of the birds outside woke Harry up the next morning. He yawned and rubbed his eyes, trying to shake the stubborn sleepiness that still clung onto him. Finally, after stretching a bit he parted from the comforting warmth of his blanket and headed to the bathroom.

After relieving himself, he brushed his teeth and washed his face before he went back to his bag and took out the pile of dirty clothes that he had to wash. Thanks to his magic, he didn’t have to work as hard or wait half a day for his clothes to dry. With the help of some household spells his laundry were clean, dry, and folded in just under an hour.

With the laundry done, Harry walked to the kitchen to make breakfast.

Now… what should he make this morning?

He examined his food stash for a while, trying to decide on what to make. He had some egg, wheat, milk, and sweet potato, so maybe pancake? And maybe a cup of hot chocolate will be good too since the morning here near Cauthess was a bit chilly and it might give Noctis more energy to get through the day.

Nodding to himself, he quickly got to work.

He ground one sweet potato into a paste before doing the same to some of the wheat, turning it into flour before mixing them together with the eggs and milk and cooked the batter layer by layer on a pan. Once he was done with the pancake, he took two sachets of hot chocolate and mixed them with hot milk in a pair of mugs.

He peeked out the window when he was finished. Seeing the sky was already bright, he decided to wake Noctis up.

“Noct, wake up. It’s already morning,” Harry said, shaking the boy’s shoulder lightly.

At first Noctis didn’t even react, but Harry kept shaking him and he whimpered slightly before burrowing his face into the pillow further. More amused than annoyed at his determination to keep sleeping, Harry poked his sides lightly, earning him a high-pitched yelp before Noctis finally parted his face from the pillow to glare at him sleepily.

“Harry! That tickled!”

Harry grinned at him, not minding the glare at all.

“Come on, it’s morning,” he told the still disgruntled boy as he pulled him up. “I made us pancakes and hot chocolates.”

There was a small silence as Noctis blinked. Then suddenly the prince looked up at him with a horrified expression.

“You made hot _c-chocolates_?”

Harry nodded, a bit confused. “Yeah? It’s good, I promise. You’ll love it.”

At his answer, Noctis’s eyes watered.

“Harry, no! Chocobos are not food!” The prince exclaimed, hitting him with a pillow and looking so heartbroken like he was about to cry. “They’re meant to be ridden and petted and loved, not… not _eaten_!”

Wait, what?

“Wait, wait. Noct, what are you talking about?” Harry asked as he blocked the pillow with his arms, completely lost with what just happened. What’s a chocobo anyway?

“Hot chocolate is a drink—just sweetened cocoa powder that I dissolved with milk. No chocobos are harmed in the making of it, I promise,” he told the boy who stopped his attacks and stared at him in suspicion.

“No chocobos?”

Harry’s lips quirked up, amused at the way the prince was looking at him. He nodded and held his hands up in surrender.

“No chocobos,” he confirmed, suppressing a grin so the upset boy didn’t get more upset with him. “You can see for yourself, alright? Let’s go to the kitchen.”

Reluctantly, Noctis allowed himself to be led to the kitchen where Harry presented him with their breakfast. There was a plate with a stack of pancakes, an assortment of fruits to its side, as well as two mugs of the dreaded hot chocolate. Harry picked one of the mugs and showed it to Noctis who were peeking warily at it behind his back.

“This is the hot chocolate. See?” Harry told him. “No chocobo.”

When Noctis cautiously peered into the mug and sniffed it, his eyes widened and he looked up to him.

“It smells so sweet!” Noctis exclaimed.

Harry grinned and handed the mug to him. “Smells wonderful right? Here, try it. It’s good, I promise.”

The prince brought it to his lips to sip it slowly and gasped, his eyes widened again and his cheeks flushed. He turned to Harry with eyes shining with wonder.

“Harry, it’s… it’s…!”

“Delicious?” Harry finished, grinning as he took out two smaller plates for them to eat their breakfast on. Noctis nodded excitedly and slowly sipped the chocolate again, being careful because it’s still hot.

“Come on, you should eat first. I don’t want you to be too full to eat later. Here,” he said as he handed the plate to the prince.

They ate in comfortable silence, with Harry putting some more fruits onto Noctis’s plate when he noticed that the prince actually ate them without much fuss unlike with vegetables.

“What is it made of? And why name it ‘chocolate’? That’s really misleading, by the way. I was so scared that it’s a chocobo-based meal!” Noctis prattled after he finished stuffing his cheeks with the pancake. He cradled the mug of chocolate close to his face, sipping it occasionally in contentment.

Harry shook his head slightly in amusement at the way the little prince was cradling the mug of chocolate and swallowed the food in his mouth before he answered.

“As I told you before, it’s made of cocoa powder. Maybe that’s where it got its name? Chocolate, cocoa… it’s close enough, right?”

“What’s a 'cocoa'?” the boy asked him in curiosity and okay, Harry was starting to struggle to answer him. How do you explain something to someone who has never seen that thing?

Before he could answer though, he heard a faint whirring sound that grew steadily louder until it seemed like it stopped just outside the outpost. Alarmed, Harry put down his plate and placed a finger to his lips, silently telling Noctis to be quiet before he peeked outside the small window of the caravan.

Three people, clad in something that resembled renaissance era knight armors was stepping down from a large carrier that hovered above the ground. He could see more soldiers were standing by inside the carrier, likely waiting for instruction before they would come down.

From what he had gathered during his first week after arriving, the only country who have developed that kind of technology was the Empire of Niflheim.

Shit. What were they doing here?

He glanced at Noctis, wondering what he should do. It was too late for them to pack up and get out. Should he hide the prince under his invisibility cloak? But there was evidence in the caravan that there were two people staying there. Should he—oh crap, one of them was slowly walking towards the caravan.

“Harry?” Noctis whispered and tugged on his shirt.

Cursing inwardly, he took out his wand from its holster and turned to a terrified Noctis. He had to think fast.

“Close your eyes, it’ll feel a bit weird,” Harry whispered before he cast a quick _colovaria_ to change the color of Noctis’s hair to brown and his eyes to the exact green shade of his own eyes. Harry slid his wand back to its holster and used his hands to fix the prince’s hair.

“Imperials are coming. From now on, do _not_ respond if anyone spoke to you. Don’t let out even a _single_ sound from your mouth,” Harry told him as he styled his hair in a way that it gave the illusion that he had more prominent cheekbones and sharper chin.

He barely finished it when the door was slammed open and the imperial soldier waltzed in like he owned the place. Harry stood in alarm and Noctis immediately went to hide behind him, clutching his shirt with shaking hands.

“You there. What’s your name? Who’s the child with you?” The man demanded rudely.

Harry tried not to glare at the man and schooled his expression to a concerned expression as he hunched his body and draped his arms around Noctis’s shoulders.

“I… m-my name’s Vernon, and this is my brother, Dudley,” Harry answered, adding a little stutter to his speech to sell the illusion of a scared and _totally normal_ citizen. He looked up to the tall imperial soldier with a frown and innocently asked, “Sir, what’s going on?”

He hoped that the imperial will buy his terrible acting. He was no better at this than Hermione was, but at least she was a quick thinker and could get herself out of trouble in the case that something went wrong.

The man sneered at him and stepped closer to them before grabbing Noctis’s small wrist and forcefully yanked him out of his hiding place behind Harry’s back, ignoring Harry’s protests.

Harry’s heart thundered inside his chest. His body was tense as his mind raced, thinking of a way to get Noctis back safely if the man realized that he was the missing Prince of Lucis.

Noctis winced and glanced at Harry with a frightened expression, but then the imperial grabbed his jaw and forced the boy to look at him. He turned Noctis’s face to the right and left, examined his hair closely and rubbed it between his fingers before he forced the prince’s eyes open and used a small flashlight to examine them.

Finding nothing, the imperial soldier clicked his tongue before he pulled out a strange, brick-like device to Noctis’s throat.

“Say something,” the imperial demanded to the terrified boy.

Noctis nervously opened his mouth but closed it again when he remembered what Harry told him before. Hearing no answer, the man’s face scrunched up in anger and he slapped Noctis’s cheek.

It wasn’t a hard slap, but it still rattled Noctis and the boy’s breath hitched as tears started to pool on the rim of his eyes. Harry cried out in shock seeing the slap and took an involuntary step towards them, but the man simply pulled out a gun and trained it on him to stop him from getting closer.

“I said say something, boy! Do it or I’ll put a bullet in his head!” He yelled angrily to the shaken Noctis.

Harry couldn’t help it, he yelled back despite fully knowing that it wasn’t a good idea and will probably be the death of him.

“He can’t, Sir, please. He was born mute, he can’t say anything no matter how much you threaten him!” Harry shouted, putting on a scared expression as he lied; his hand inched subtly closer to the wand holster he strapped on his left arm, preparing himself to attack should the need arise.

He swallowed when the imperial turned to glare at him for interrupting, but he didn’t avert his eyes from the man in defiance.

“If there’s anything you want to know please ask me instead, I’ll answer all your questions, but please don’t do this to him. He’s just a boy,” Harry continued, trying to reason with him into releasing Noctis.

The man sneered at him, but he did turn to Noctis again.

“Is what he was saying true?” The man asked, his voice dangerously soft. The boy could only manage a frantic nod, tears streaming down his face as he cried without a sound.

The man grunted in a different language that sounded strangely similar to Latin and put away his gun before pushing Noctis harshly into Harry’s waiting arms. Noctis immediately buried his face into Harry’s midsection and Harry put his arms around the boy, rubbing his back gently to ease his trembling.

The imperial soldier snorted like he was witnessing something disgusting and sat on one of the chairs, crossing his legs as he grabbed a leftover pancake from the plate.

“Well answer me then, _Vernon_. How old are you?” the man questioned as he munched on the stolen food.

Harry turned his eyes downwards so that the man couldn’t see the rage and disgust he was hiding.

“I just turned 18 and my brother is 10,” Harry answered stiffly. There was a faint hum from the man as he finished eating.

“He doesn’t look 10 though, wouldn’t you say?” the Imperial said, licking his fingers clean as he observed them from head to toe over and over.

Harry suppressed a wince. He should have said a more believable age for Noctis. How could he talk himself out of this…?

“There wasn’t a lot of food in Ravatogh since it was during wartime. We have to ration what we have, so he didn’t get enough nutrients to grow properly,” Harry told him, making up the lies as he goes since he absolutely had no idea what he was talking about.

The imperial raised an eyebrow skeptically at his explanation.

“Ravatogh? Even though you have Tenebraean accent?” he asked as he rose from his seat and circled around them. Noctis tightened his grip on Harry’s shirt and flinched when the man got too close.

Harry nodded and wracked his brain for another lie, a convincing one.

“Our dad’s Tenebraean, but mom was from Lucis. We lived in Tenebrae until I was 12 before we moved to our aunt’s home in Ravatogh when our parents died,” he elaborated, mentally patting himself on the back for the believable family drama backstory, but the man still didn’t look convinced.

“Is that so?” The man said thoughtfully, still circling them and looking up and down his body, putting a hand on Harry’s left shoulder and dragged it across his back until it rested on the small of his back.

It made him extremely uncomfortable, but Harry managed to keep his mouth shut this time. He closed his eyes briefly, trying to stop himself from blasting the man’s hands off him. Instead, he sent the man a vulnerable look as he begged the man to believe him.

“Please, it’s the truth. We left Ravatogh a week ago—we just arrived here last night. We’re heading to Longwythe because I got a job offer from our aunt’s friend at the motel there. We don’t know anything, whatever it is that you want from us.”

The creep narrowed his eyes at his words, but before he could open his mouth again there was a loud bang from the door of the caravan. Harry felt Noctis jump in fright from the sound as he turned his head to see what caused it and saw an older imperial glowering at the asshole interrogating them.

“We don’t have the time to play around, Aspero. If the package is not here, then get your ass moving,” the older imperial said coldly.

The creep that interrogated them grumbled something back in their native language but heeded his colleague’s words and stepped back from their vicinity much to Harry’s relieve.

“Fine,” he growled, moving to follow his colleague out the caravan.

Before he left, however, in a sudden dick move he trashed their breakfast to the floor, shattering the plates and mugs into tiny little pieces with a huff as he walked towards the door.

Harry seethed seeing him walk away. He shouldn’t have played it safe, he should have just cursed the man from the start. If only Noctis wasn’t there and could potentially get hurt in the crossfire that would surely follow, he would have stabbed that guy with his sword—see how he’d like the taste of Basilisk venom on his bloodstream.

He was still fuming as he glared at the leaving air carrier, waiting until he couldn’t see it anymore before he crouched down and placed his hands on the sides of Noctis’s face.

“Are you alright?” Harry asked the still softly sniffling child, turning his face side to side to check for any sign of bruises from the time he was grabbed. “Did that man hurt you?”

Noctis shook his head as he wiped his tears with his arms.

“It… it didn’t really hurt, but…” The little prince sniffled lightly. “I was… scared that he was going to shoot you.”

Harry’s eyes softened hearing Noctis’s confession. He put his arms around the boy and pulled him into his chest, hugging him tightly for a moment before releasing him.

“Ssh, it’s okay. I’m alright, see?” he said, caressing his hair comfortingly. “I’m so sorry you have to endure that kind of treatment. I should have done better and stopped him when he touched you, I’m sorry.”

Noctis sniffled again but shook his head at his apology.

“It’s okay… I knew you wouldn’t let anything truly bad from happening to me,” the prince said softly, putting on a brave face for him even as his hands trembled.

“Yeah… of course. I won’t let anyone hurt you, I promise.” Harry nodded, pulling him into another hug. Noctis hugged him back and they stayed like that for a while until he calmed down.

His eyes narrowed darkly as he vowed to himself that he will do a better job protecting Noctis from now on. Not just because the boy was the crown prince of Lucis, but because he found that he couldn’t bear to see him cry like that.

If anyone tried to harm Noctis again, he will not hesitate next time.

 

 

 

Harry told Noctis to wash his face and change his clothes as he cleaned the mess the imperial asshole created.

The plates and mugs could be repaired, but unfortunately their leftover breakfast had to be thrown out. It pained him to throw out food, but after what happened the pancakes and fruits were not suitable for consumption anymore.

While Noctis was in the bathroom, Alto, the kind cashier of the mini-mart, came by to check if they were alright, a cup of pudding held in his hand. He was sporting a bruised cheek, likely from the treatment of the other imperials. Harry ushered him in as he wet a clean napkin for him to compress his bruise.

“They said they’re looking for a child,” Alto told him, wincing as he pressed the napkin to his cheek. “A boy with black hair, blue eyes, and around 7 years old.”

Harry stayed silent as the man continued to talk.

“They never said who it is, but I think they’re looking for the prince,” Alto continued. “I heard from a passing hunter this morning that last night the Crownsguard and the Royal Guards attacked Formouth Garrison. He thought that they must be crazy to do something like that when the war just started to calm down, and I thought so too. It was weird that they would do that unprovoked.”

“You thought they were searching for something,” Harry finished his unspoken sentence.

“Yeah, and those dickheads pretty much confirmed it when they came in and started throwing things around, demanding information if I have seen a boy with that description.” Alto nodded. “The prince must have managed to escape somehow if they actually did kidnap him. Thank the Six.”

Harry frowned thoughtfully, giving the other man a nod. Formouth Garrison, huh… that was in Leide, right?

“Gods, I hope the Guards found the prince first. Who knows what the empire would do to him if he was caught again.” Alto shuddered before glancing around the caravan. “How’s your brother? I was afraid that they were going to do something to him since he kind of fits the description, but I couldn’t warn you in time.”

Harry smiled tiredly as he shook his head.

“He’s fine. Just a bit shook up, maybe. He got scared when the creep slapped him and pointed a gun at me, but he’ll be okay. I’ll make sure of it,” he told the other man who nodded at him.

They talked some more until Noctis came out of the bathroom with another hooded jacket, but short-sleeved this time, and the jeans from yesterday, looking alarmed.

“Harry, my hair and eyes—” he began, but paused when he saw Alto with him. Harry smiled at him and put a finger to his lips which made Noctis gasp, remembering their promise from yesterday, and slap a hand to his mouth.

Alto greeted him warmly and ruffled his hair, telling him that he was very brave for standing up to the imperials, which made Noctis blush again, pleased. Harry shared a private grin with the cashier as the other man gave him the pudding he brought with him before telling them that he had to go back to clean the shop.

Noctis smiled shyly as he received the gift and murmured his gratitude to the man.

When the man was gone, the prince turned towards him again and tilted his head questioningly. Harry got his silent question and answered as he helped Noctis open the pudding package that was admittedly a little hard for him to open too.

“It was too late to hide you so I changed the colors of your hair and eyes. I didn’t know what those soldiers wanted before, but I thought it’d be bad if they find out who you are. Sorry that I didn’t ask for your permission first,” Harry said apologetically. “It’s temporary though, don’t worry. I can change the colors back right now if you want?”

Noctis shook his head as he shoved a spoonful of pudding into his mouth.

“No, it’s fine. It might be better if I look like this until we reach Insomnia in case we meet those people again. I was just surprised before,” the prince told him. Then he blushed, looking down at his feet. “Also… it makes me look like I’m actually your brother.”

Harry blinked, then he realized what the boy was saying and his lips quirked upwards.

“Indeed it does,” he agreed.

Noctis grinned at him and let out a small giggle. Harry shook his head fondly and patted the boy’s hair before he left the boy to eat his pudding as he packed their stuff back into his bag.

When Harry asked him earlier, Alto had told him that the best way to travel if they have no car is to ride a chocobo, the animal that Noctis mentioned that morning. Apparently, chocobo was a big, bipedal bird that ‘run as fast as the wind’ and loved being ridden by humans. They’re fond of children especially.

Normally there would be a chocobo renting shop in every outpost, but as this outpost was newly built, Wiz Chocobo Post hasn’t gotten to set up a shop yet. The nearest one was the next one, near the Disc of Cauthess, but usually the chocobos were all rented out by noon.

Seeing that the sun was already high, there was no chance for them to arrive there before noon though. The surprise visit by the imperial assholes earlier really messed with their schedule. He just hoped that there would be no more trouble for them for the day.

He glanced at Noctis, who was nibbling on the spoon he was using to eat the pudding and called out to him.

“I’ve finished packing. Are you ready to go now or do you need more time? Because it’s alright if you want to wait,” Harry told Noctis gently, but the little prince shook his head.

“It’s alright. I’m better now, don’t worry!” Noctis said as he jumped on his feet. Harry eyed him for a moment before nodding.

“If you’re sure,” he told the prince. “Let’s say goodbye to Alto first, shall we? He’s been very helpful and kind to us since yesterday.”

Noctis had calmed down after he washed his face and ate the sweet pudding, but he still wasn’t as chipper as he was the night before. He didn’t look shaken anymore, but there was no way of knowing what was in his head. All he could do was to trust Noctis’s words.

If they have the time he would have suggested that they rest for another day for Noctis to recover, but the longer the prince was missing, he was worried that the situation will escalate into an undesirable direction. If the war started again because of this…

He glanced at Noctis, who was all ready to go and was waiting for him. He shook his head and put on an optimistic smile, offering his hand to the boy who took it happily.

It’ll be alright.

It’ll surely be fine.

 

 

 

They said their goodbyes quickly. Alto wished them a safe journey told them to come and visit him when they have the chance in the future.

The road to the next outpost was just as beautiful at the path they traveled through the day before, though instead of a tall forest, the roadside was more barren. The breeze was nice though and the bright green of the grass was easy on the eyes—they even got to walk under the big stone arches that they saw yesterday too.

Noctis begged him to be allowed to climb the stone arches, but Harry adamantly told him no since it was dangerous and would tire him quickly. Not even his best rendition of the kicked-puppy look could sway his decision, much to the prince’s disappointment.

As they walked closer to the Disc, the scenery changed rockier with more stone walls from the edge of the crater.

When Harry caught the sight of the crystal formation in the middle of the crater, he was blown away by its beauty. It was like a gargantuan blooming crystal flower that sprouted from the earth, with the tip of its petals looking somewhat translucent and gleaming brightly under the sun.

The prince clearly thought the same too if the way he asked to be carried so he could see it better was any indication, Harry thought; grinning as he indulged the prince’s whim.

Unfortunately, their view was quickly blocked by another wall of stone, but he could also see the outpost in the distance. He didn’t even realize that they had passed the imperial military base since he was so drawn to the sight of the crystal structure.

The chocobos, as Alto had warned him, were all rented out and they have to wait until at least the next morning for the replacements to arrive. They couldn’t afford to waste their time waiting, unfortunately. The sooner they arrive at Insomnia, the better.

Harry apologized to Noctis for not being able to secure their ride, but even though disappointed that he couldn’t see a _live chocobo_ , Noctis determinedly told him that he was fine with walking even though he might need a break once every so often.

Though not being able to rent the illustrious animal, since it was way past lunchtime Harry took Noctis to eat in the Crow’s Nest Diner there. He ordered two Kenny’s Salmon for each of them and he almost choked when he heard the price.

500 gil for a single meal… he thought this was a fast food chain, not a freaking gourmet restaurant.

He wondered if every restaurant was this expensive or if it was just because he still haven’t completely understood the value of gil yet. Maybe his 5000 something gil (4000 now, actually) stash was actually not as much as he thought it was.

Whatever it was, it made his head hurt from thinking and he decided to just shove it to the back of his mind.

Whatever, if he needed money he’ll just take up a hunt or something.

They continued to walk west after they rested a bit. It was impossible for them to reach Longwythe before nightfall, so Harry searched for the nearest haven, the Turncouth Haven, for them to head to.

But then he took a closer look at the map and realized that Wiz Chocobo Post, the ranch that provided the animals to be rented on all the outposts, was actually not far from the haven. They could even reach there just in time before nightfall, actually.

Harry felt a tug on his shirt and looked down to see Noctis’s eyes, shining with excitement, beaming up at him.

“It’s not far, right? Let’s go there! Please, Harry, I want to see chocobos!”

The prince begged him shamelessly and Harry’s lips quirked up in amusement. He pretended to think about it, frowning as he tapped his chin thoughtfully.

“Hmm… I wonder,” Harry hummed, glancing at the way the boy’s face fell in disappointment. He resisted the urge to snicker as he continued, “Well… if someone promised me to eat all his vegetables tonight, I will consider it. How about it, Noct?”

Noctis scrunched up his face in disgust and he seemed really torn between visiting the chocobo post and not having to eat his veggies, but his love for chocobo won in the end.

“…Urgh…! Deal!” He finally grumbled with a pout and Harry grinned, satisfied with his victory.

“Alright then, let’s go!” Harry took his hand cheerfully. “We need the chocobo for tomorrow so I was going to suggest we go there anyway, but since you promised me to eat your vegetables…”

Noctis gasped in realization and stared at him accusingly.

“You tricked me!” The prince covered his mouth, horrified. “Harry, that’s so mean!”

Harry just looked to the side to conceal his grin as Noctis griped at him. Kids are so amusing.

 

 

 

They arrived at Wiz Chocobo Post at dusk.

Noctis, even though he was still miffed from being tricked, gasped in excitement and immediately ran towards a flock of big, tall, and bipedal yellow birds despite having complained that his feet were about to fell off from overuse just minutes before. The admittedly adorable birds allowed him to pet them indulgingly, leaning down when they noticed Noctis had to stand on the tip of his toes to reach their head.

Harry was watching him coo and pet the birds in amusement when a man, maybe in his early 30s, approached him with a warm smile.

“Welcome to our chocobo post. I’m Wiz Forlane, the owner of the ranch here,” the man greeted him cheerfully, offering a hand for him to shake. Harry took it and smiled back.

“I’m Harry, and he’s Noct. Sorry for coming by so late, Mr. Forlane, but the kid wants to see a chocobo,” Harry said apologetically, but the man just laughed and waved off his apology.

“Don’t be sorry! We’re open until midnight actually,” he told Harry before he glanced to Noctis’s direction. The boy was petting a particularly motherly bird who was grooming his hair in return. Or maybe just nibbling on it, he wasn’t sure.

“Is he your kid brother?” Forlane asked, watching as the bird keep nudging Noctis’s face affectionately.

“Something like that.” Harry nodded. “I’m escorting him to Insomnia and we need a chocobo because he tires really fast. Do you think we can rent one tomorrow?”

Forlane nodded. “Absolutely! Our girl Vanille there seems fond of your brother, you can take her with you if you want.”

“Thank you,” Harry smiled at him. “We’ll take her.”

Forlane, who insisted on being called Wiz, showed both him and Noctis where everything was. The café, the kiosk, the chocobo pens, the Culless truck if they need to restock, as well as the caravan.

A group of 6 hunters had gotten to the caravan before them, however, so Harry asked Wiz if he could build his tent beside the caravan and got the okay.

He waited until no one was looking before he took out his tent from his bag and set it up quickly with an _erecto;_ then learning from his mistake from that morning he cast a quick muggle-repelling and imperturbable charms at the tent so no one but he and Noctis will be able to go near the tent or hear anything from inside.

Noctis’s gasp at seeing the inside for the first time made him smile, reminded of his own experience which felt like a lifetime ago. He knew how enchanting the sight was despite the old-fashioned décor of the tent.

It seemed he was just overthinking when he thought the tent wouldn’t be proper for a prince since Noctis seemed really fascinated and hounded him with questions after questions about it with enthusiasm as he unpacked his things to prepare their dinner.

He decided to make a casserole with the ingredients that he had, putting in a lot of minced vegetables so that Noctis would have no choice but to eat them.

Noctis pouted seeing all the greens in the mixture, but Harry sagely told him that ‘ _a prince will always keep his promises, even if he was tricked by a mean adult; otherwise no one will recognize him as the prince anymore’_ when he begged him to reduce the veggies.

Harry almost felt bad when the boy fell for his trick again, but he wasn’t. Not really. The situation was far too amusing for him to feel bad about it.

He put in cheese and a lot of alstroom too so that it covered any bitter taste though since wanted Noctis to eat healthily, not to make the boy despise vegetables even more. Hopefully, that combined with the taste of the chickatrice meat he put in will overpower the vegetables.

Once the mixture was done, he poured it into a pan… only to realize that he made way too much for the two of them to finish by themselves because he was having too much fun messing with Noctis and got distracted. Oops.

He poured the rest of the mixture into two other pans and baked everything anyway. He could always share them with the hunters or Wiz or maybe just store them for lunch tomorrow.

While the casseroles were baking, Harry told Noctis to take a shower while he boiled water in a kettle to make some tea for after dinner.

He sat on the dinner table as he waited and closed his eyes for a moment—then was startled awake when he heard a loud yelp and a clatter.

When did he fall asleep? He thought as he rubbed his eyes sleepily.

When he heard a small whimper, he turned around and noticed Noctis cradling his hand to his chest in pain, the kettle he used to boil the water had fallen to the floor with its content spilling everywhere. He quickly put together what had happened and gasped, immediately running to the prince’s side.

“Harry…” Noctis whimpered, teary-eyed as he showed Harry his burned hand.

“Oh, Noct… you shouldn’t have touched it with your bare hands,” Harry admonished gently as he carefully examined the burn. It was really red and Harry knew from experience that it must be really hurt, poor boy.

“Did the water splash you anywhere?” He asked as he summoned his potions kit. Noctis shook his head in answer, thankfully.

He took out a burn-healing salve before applying a thin layer of the orange paste onto the red skin of Noctis’s hand. The prince sniffled but didn’t cry even though he was in pain.

“I’m sorry…” Noctis murmured quietly when his hand was healed. Harry sighed slightly, but he smiled at the prince and patted his head to show that it was alright.

“Just be more careful next time, okay?” he told the boy before adding curiously, “Why didn’t you call for me?”

Noctis looked down as he answered, “You fell asleep. I thought you must be tired from cooking and everything so I want to help.”

_Aww_.

Unconsciously Harry’s fingers had moved to pinch the boy’s cheek lightly.

“Hawwy!” Noctis whined as he tried to get away. Harry grinned as he released the boy’s cheek, not at all sorry for what he’d done.

“Sorry, I can’t help it. You’re adorable.”

Noctis pouted and stomped his foot petulantly at his words. “I am not!”

Oh, he definitely was, Harry thought as he patted his head fondly. He quickly boiled the water again and took out the casseroles with a mitten. After cutting everything up he moved them to a serving plate, made some tea in a pot, and turned to Noctis.

“I accidentally made too much. What do you say if we share some with the hunters?” Harry asked him.

Noctis nodded, approving of his idea.

“Yeah! We can eat together too!” he added animatedly.

They did end up eating together in one big table in front of the caravan.

The hunters thanked him profusely for the meal. Some of them even got teary-eyed, saying that it was the first homemade meal they ate in _months._ Harry thought that they were just exaggerating, but the tips of his ears reddened anyway, pleased that they liked his cooking so much.

Again, despite his reluctance to eat the veggies Noctis ended up returning to him with a clean plate, which made Harry grin. At this point, he thought that Noctis was just stubbornly hating vegetables for the sake of hating it, not because he actually hated it, which Harry found kind of endearing.

They chatted until late at night with the hunters, with Harry and Noctis drinking their tea while the hunters their beers.

The hunters were a wealth of knowledge, he discovered. They gossiped about the imperials, about the wild beasts in the area, and about how some of them saw black-clad people heading to Lestallum and Galdin Quay in fancy black cars.

Huh. So black was the color of the Kingdom of Lucis, Harry thought. No wonder Noctis requested a change of clothes yesterday.

When he shared that he used a pistol to fight, the woman whose weapon was also a firearm even gave him tips on how to maximize damage and corrected his terrible posture—which made him more than a little embarrassed by his cluelessness. Clearly he wasn’t as skilled with his gun as he thought he was.

When Noctis began to yawn, Harry finally excused themselves and retreated back to their tent. Just like the previous night, he sent Noctis to brush his teeth before he went in to take a quick shower before bed.

Harry thought everything was alright, but then in the middle of the night, he was awakened by a tug on his blanket. He blearily opened his eyes and saw Noctis standing in front of his bed, sniffling slightly as he wiped at his teary eyes.

He sat up immediately, alarmed.

“Noct?” He asked softly when the boy didn’t say anything. “Did you have a nightmare?”

The boy nodded but didn’t tell him anything about this nightmare of his. Was this because of the incident that morning or was it because he missed his home and family Harry wasn’t sure, but the little prince’s cries tugged at his heart anyway and he pulled him into a hug.

Harry only rubbed his back comfortingly at first, then he recalled that Aunt Petunia used to hum a lullaby for Dudley when he couldn’t sleep back when they were kids. Harry’s face flushed in embarrassment at the idea of doing it, but whatever. He had humiliated himself worse back when he was younger anyway.

Clearing his throat, Harry began to hum a [song](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XtebBTm7Hs8) that he once heard from the radio during the Horcrux hunt last year as he caressed the boy’s hair.

The melody was originally sung by a girl’s soft and high voice and his mediocre voice couldn’t replicate it perfectly ( _not at all_ ), but he noticed Noctis’s sobs steadily calming down anyway until all he could hear was his soft breathing.

Look at that. The prince had fallen asleep to his mediocre voice.

Harry sighed in relief. It was terribly embarrassing, but if it could help Noctis he thought he wouldn’t mind doing it again. Maybe. As long as there were no other witnesses.

Knowing that he would wake the boy if he moved him back to his bed, Harry scooted over and pulled the boy in with him. He yawned tiredly and rubbed his eyes, chuckling at the little prince sleepily. Murmuring a quick goodnight, he pulled the blankets over them both before he closed his eyes again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *The box thing the imperial soldier used in the beginning is a voice-recognition device, but Harry didn’t know what it was so I never elaborated. There was no sugar in the game (as far as I know), but wiki said that the sweet potato in Eos is as sweet as sugar. Chocolate also didn't exist in the game, but maybe it does in Brotherhood. Idk though I forgot. Kenny’s Salmon is 1400 gil in the game, but as with anything everywhere, price in the past is cheaper so it’s 500 gil here.
> 
> Also I just bought FFXV’s 2nd OST and I saw there’s a track in Episode Ignis’s CD titled 「友として、兄として――」and I just burst into tears. Goddamn this game for making me feel too much for these characters. I don't think I will ever recover from Episode Ignis's canon ending.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading, have a nice day ❤


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